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Muskies
Muskies is an unsold pilot, completed in 1997. It was produced by Gecko Studios, in association with FacTOONry, Alliance Communications, YTV and the Sci-Fi Channel. Strange went with The Sci-Fi Channel and YTV since both networks were working with one another at the time (Mission Genesis and The Anti-Gravity Room.) and aimed the show at their Animation Station block. The show was ultimately passed over due to the aforementioned block concluding that year. Muskies is considered to be a precursor to The Halloween Kids, and all of the characters were remade for that show. Summary Set in Muskego, Wisconsin. Muskies centers on a ten-member team of bullies who attempt to preserve order in their neighborhood. They consist of the well meaning punk Julie, the mostly friendly Selma, the smooth-talking Dante, the heavyset Clifford, the insecure Megan, the mischievous Victor, the mute Corky, the bubbly Jupiter, the fizzy Mack and the cynical Angela. The pilot establishes the group and centers on a blue substance that turned up following a meteor shower that mutates various animals and a fellow classmate. Plot Residoom Ten kids are sent to detention after ramming heads with their superiors through pranks and snide criticism. Each bond over the impression their school has on them and one of them, Victor, invites them to check out something he found last night. After getting released, they see Lola, an obnoxious clique leader, bullying Val, a reserved student. They attempt to help her but she refuses to talk to them, running off and dismissing them as regular bullies, hurting Julie as she was the brunt of the insult. Victor leads them to the park and shows them a blue growth on a tree. Dante associates the growth with a preceding meteor shower, but is written off due to a lack of impacts around the area. Julie invites them to her house to further discuss things, and on the way they learn multiple pets have vanished overnight. Angela writes it off as unrelated, but everyone else decides to look into it to find a connection. Julie goes home to prepare her house for the others, but is attacked by a giant dog who breaks into the house. She jabs it in the eye and it runs off. The others arrive and Julie talks about what happened, connecting it to the growth. Angela claims it could just be moss, but Dee claims that blue moss isn't common enough to support her theory. Julie's friends depart but are attacked by a mutated bird. For fear of another attack, they decide to stay over for the night. It goes to Val walking in the park. She is stopped by Lola and beaten up over her ratting the latter out to the principal over a prank. After she leaves, a meteor flies down and crashes ahead of Val. She goes to investigate and picks up the fallen rock, only for it to explode and cover her in a blue substance similar to what was on the tree. She is greeted by another monster dog, but she scares it off with an uncharacteristic roar. Val goes home and begins changing, turning blue and growing in size. At school the next morning, the gang discovers that Val isn't present. Attempts at going to see her are shot down by their teachers. At lunch, the gang sneaks out to find Val. They come face to face with a mutated Val and learn of the meteor crash at the park. Julie recalls seeing a bluish hue on the dog that attacked her, likewise to the birds that attacked the others. They get a DNA sample from Val and decide to look into it when they get access to their school's science lab. Upon returning to school, they get detention and convince the principal to set their venue to the lab. They examine the sample and Victor brings over a squirrel as a test subject. The squirrel comes into contact with the sample and mutates. The kids fight it off and retreat before getting into trouble. As they go, they see more animals have changed and are attacking the town. They're chased down by the animals and take refuge in a treehouse. It goes to Lola who discovers her locker has been trashed. She soon runs into Val who attacks her as revenge for her torment. This gets the attention of the authorities, but Val attempts to communicate with them, only to get shot at. She retreats to the woods and comes across a mutated deer, calling it over with a newfound call ability. She does it at a louder rate and attracts the attention of the other animals in the town. The kids go to follow, only to get rounded up by the police. The kids are interrogated over Val. Julie vies for her innocence, claiming she's only scared and acting on emotion. The police don't buy their story and send them off. Julie decides to look for Val and prevent her from getting harmed by the authorities. When questioned on why she wants to help, Julie ignores them but they follow regardless. They find Val in a clearing with the other animals and go to talk to her. Julie wants to help, but Val is skeptical. An argument breaks out and Julie has an emotional breakdown. Val is surprised over this, but realizes that this defies her previous impression. She's willing to get help, but questions how much it could help her. Val sends the animals out to attack the town. She later returns and calls them off, giving the impression that she stopped them. The authorities attempt to stop her, but Julie defends her, claiming she saved the town. The authorities are forced to concede. Over the next few days, the kids and Val play with one another and we learn that she has been successfully cured. The next day, the kids find themselves in detention and are surprised to find Val is there too. She claims she kept some of the substance and put it in Lola's shampoo, with it causing her head to grow big. Cast * Kathleen Barr: Julie * Brian Drummond: Clifford * Ian James Corlett: Victor, additional voices. * Tony Sampson: Dante * Bryn McAuley: Megan * Stephanie Morgenstern: Angela * Andrea Libman: Jupiter * Janyse Jaud: Selma * Tracey Moore: Mack * Tabitha St. Germain: Val, additional voices